Report reveals which city is ahead in NBA expansion race

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Report reveals which city is ahead in NBA expansion race

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Sep 15, 2026 8:14 PM ET

Talks of NBA expansion are picking up rapidly, and it seems to be a two-city race between Seattle and Las Vegas.

On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver discussed that topic and others at a press conference in New York City after the NBA Board of Governors meeting.

Later that evening, ESPN NBA insider Vince Goodwill revealed which city is ahead in the expansion discussions at this moment.

“The league can issue one expansion bid, two expansion bids, or zero expansion bids come this December,” Goodwill said. “Nothing is set in stone, but the important thing to note is, Las Vegas is a little bit ahead of Seattle as far as the process.”

"The league can issue one expansion bid, two expansion bids, or zero expansion bids come this December."

—@VinceGoodwill joins SportsCenter to give an update on where the NBA's expansion initiatives stand pic.twitter.com/5xxJgsIgJY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 15, 2026

The NBA isn’t expected to expand, if at all, until the 2028-29 season, and Las Vegas and Seattle have constantly been named as the leading candidates.

In Seattle, bidders are already lining up in an effort to bring a franchise back to the state of Washington after the SuperSonics left in 2008 and then became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Right now, there is plenty of uncertainty about when – or if – the NBA expands, and there is a scenario where both Las Vegas and Seattle have NBA franchises in 2028.

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